The mechanics and microstructures of biofilms impact phagocytosis by immune cells

Vernita Gordon has been on the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin since 2010.  Her research group studies the interplay of physics and biology in bacterial biofilms, with a long-term goal of finding cases where physical properties can be targeted to prevent or treat biofilm disease.  Her PhD students and postdocs have gone on to a wide range of jobs in industry and academia.  Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Human Frontiers Science Program.  She was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2023.